There's always time for tea, and there's always room for cake.

     I've noticed that the new wedding trend is to forgo cake in favor of cupcakes (dumb) or to completely cut out cake and serve something, say, like pie (more dumb). Let's not mince words here, I love pie just as much as the next lumberjack, but cake is sacred! I go to parties, christenings, and family gatherings to eat cake! For you see, cake used to be a more common affair (and was itself much more plain) in days past. If cake has turned into a "special affair" kind of thing, and people don't even want to serve it anymore at matrimonial events, I'm going AWOL. You can find me in the kitchen, baking a simple, spiced chocolate cake, perfect for tea or breakfast. #ChooseCake #CakeWins

     Cardamom and Coffee Spiced Chocolate Loaf Cake

     A word to the wise: chocolate cake is not the easiest cake to make right every time because cocoa powder is a mysterious creature. It often makes cakes too dry (like mine was), or can cause them to not set at all. The latter can occur when using Dutch cocoa powder in place of natural; the lower acidity in the former does not coagulate protein as well. A general rule of thumb is that a looser batter is best with chocolate cake as the extra liquid will keep the proteins from binding too tightly. 

     This cake is a snap to put together. First, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix well. Add the buttermilk, coffee and vanilla (it should looked curdled). In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, cardamom, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix til just combined. Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan (9x5x3) and bake for about an hour. Let the cake cool in its pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack for the reminder of cooling. 

Recipe

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

325 F 60-70 minutes

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 c buttermilk

1/2 c coffee
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c cocoa powder 
1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt

What I got my dad for Valentine's Day